AJ McCarron thrilled to finish second in Heisman voting

With the winner a foregone conclusion according to many, a second-place finish was probably as good as AJ McCarron could’ve hoped for — and it was exactly what he got.

The Associated Press

By Joe DePaoloSpecial to The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 9:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 10:07 p.m.

NEW YORK | With the winner a foregone conclusion according to many, a second-place finish was probably as good as AJ McCarron could’ve hoped for — and it was exactly what he got.

The Alabama quarterback was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy vote revealed Saturday, well behind Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston — whose winning margin of 1,501 points was the seventh-biggest in the history of the award.

McCarron received a total of 704 points, only 300 more than sixth-place finisher Tre Mason of Auburn in what was a very close race for the runner-up spot. Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third, followed by Boston College running back Andre Williams. Johnny Manziel, last year’s Heisman winner, finished fifth.

For McCarron, who hasn’t exactly gotten accustomed to losing during his three years as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, this was a rare occasion when second place seemed satisfying.

“If you would’ve told me when I started football at the age of 3 that I was going to finish second in the Heisman race in my senior year, I’d have probably told you you were crazy.”

The Heisman results were just the latest bit of good news in what has been a week full of it for Alabama football. In addition to numerous personal accolades collected by McCarron this week, coach Nick Saban signed a multi-year contract extension on Friday.

According to McCarron, the Alabama faithful had nothing to worry about.

“ESPN blew that up,” the Heisman runner-up said of the speculation that Saban was going to leave. “Coach is gonna thank them in the end because they probably made him a little more money. So I guess that’s good for him.”

With the coaching saga behind him and the program, McCarron set out to make the most of his brief sojourn to the Big Apple. He toured New York City in less than optimal conditions — with the temperature below 30 and several inches of snow on the ground. McCarron didn’t like the inclement weather, but it didn’t keep him from enjoying the city.

“This snow definitely is getting to me. I’m not used to it,” he said. “But it’s been an unbelievable experience. The buildings are insane.”

More than the towering presence of the skyscrapers, though, McCarron was taken aback by the number of people in the city, and the brisk pace at which it operates.

“So many people walking the streets, it’s just crazy. Coming from Mobile, I thought, when you go downtown (there) some of the streets are crowded. But, I’ll tell ya, the people don’t stop here at yellow. I think they speed up, especially when they see people walking across the street.”

The trip to New York concluded a hectic 48-hour stretch for McCarron, in which he also appeared at awards ceremonies in Orlando, Fla., and Baltimore. Despite the fact that he came up short in the Heisman vote, McCarron said that he will remember his trip on the awards circuit forever.

“It’s been a great past couple of days,” he said. “Going from Orlando, winning the first ever Maxwell Award for the University of Alabama, and then the Johnny Unitas Award last night in Baltimore, and then here, to finish second ... so many great things.”

But now that it’s over, McCarron said he’s looking forward to turning his focus back to the gridiron, to suit up one last time for the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2.

“I’m ready to get back to work,” McCarron said. “I want to play some football.”

<p>NEW YORK | With the winner a foregone conclusion according to many, a second-place finish was probably as good as AJ McCarron could've hoped for — and it was exactly what he got.</p><p>The Alabama quarterback was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy vote revealed Saturday, well behind Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston — whose winning margin of 1,501 points was the seventh-biggest in the history of the award. </p><p>“Just awesome,” McCarron said of the Heisman results. “A dream come true.”</p><p>McCarron received a total of 704 points, only 300 more than sixth-place finisher Tre Mason of Auburn in what was a very close race for the runner-up spot. Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third, followed by Boston College running back Andre Williams. Johnny Manziel, last year's Heisman winner, finished fifth.</p><p>For McCarron, who hasn't exactly gotten accustomed to losing during his three years as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback, this was a rare occasion when second place seemed satisfying.</p><p>“If you would've told me when I started football at the age of 3 that I was going to finish second in the Heisman race in my senior year, I'd have probably told you you were crazy.” </p><p>The Heisman results were just the latest bit of good news in what has been a week full of it for Alabama football. In addition to numerous personal accolades collected by McCarron this week, coach Nick Saban signed a multi-year contract extension on Friday.</p><p>According to McCarron, the Alabama faithful had nothing to worry about. </p><p>“ESPN blew that up,” the Heisman runner-up said of the speculation that Saban was going to leave. “Coach is gonna thank them in the end because they probably made him a little more money. So I guess that's good for him.”</p><p>With the coaching saga behind him and the program, McCarron set out to make the most of his brief sojourn to the Big Apple. He toured New York City in less than optimal conditions — with the temperature below 30 and several inches of snow on the ground. McCarron didn't like the inclement weather, but it didn't keep him from enjoying the city.</p><p>“This snow definitely is getting to me. I'm not used to it,” he said. “But it's been an unbelievable experience. The buildings are insane.”</p><p>More than the towering presence of the skyscrapers, though, McCarron was taken aback by the number of people in the city, and the brisk pace at which it operates. </p><p>“So many people walking the streets, it's just crazy. Coming from Mobile, I thought, when you go downtown (there) some of the streets are crowded. But, I'll tell ya, the people don't stop here at yellow. I think they speed up, especially when they see people walking across the street.”</p><p>The trip to New York concluded a hectic 48-hour stretch for McCarron, in which he also appeared at awards ceremonies in Orlando, Fla., and Baltimore. Despite the fact that he came up short in the Heisman vote, McCarron said that he will remember his trip on the awards circuit forever.</p><p>“It's been a great past couple of days,” he said. “Going from Orlando, winning the first ever Maxwell Award for the University of Alabama, and then the Johnny Unitas Award last night in Baltimore, and then here, to finish second ... so many great things.” </p><p>But now that it's over, McCarron said he's looking forward to turning his focus back to the gridiron, to suit up one last time for the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2. </p><p>“I'm ready to get back to work,” McCarron said. “I want to play some football.”</p>